


Empty

by fightforyourwrite



Category: Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Genre: Childhood Memories, Cleaning, F/M, House Cleaning, Identity Issues, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:06:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22594516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fightforyourwrite/pseuds/fightforyourwrite
Summary: Aurora’s childhood home had remained relatively untouched.
Relationships: Aurora/Phillip (Disney)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	Empty

Nowadays, Briar Rose was nothing more than a memory in Princess Aurora’s head. 

Gone were her days of living as a peasant girl, thinking she was a mere foundling raised by three mortal women. No more did she gather berries in the woods or sing bird calls to her friends in the trees. In the present, most of her time was spent learning about her kingdom’s history or preparing to wear her family’s crown. 

Royalty had yet to consume her entire life, however. Whether she be Briar Rose or Princess Aurora, she still found joy in donning her old “peasant dress” and shedding her shoes. Even now, she had yet to shake off the old habit and spent her spare time outdoors, whether it be barefoot in the castle gardens or out in the woods. 

Phillip accompanied her whenever he could. Out in the forest, they would walk, talk, dance, and sing. It felt easier spending time with him without the ears of castle servants hiding around every corner. There were days where they would lounge in the grass and enjoy the sounds of chirping birds above. There were others where they would dip their bare feet into the flowing stream. 

One day, Phillip and Aurora visited the woods on a spring afternoon. On the backs of their horses, they rode underneath the foliage and the trees. It did not take them long to get where they wanted to be. The cottage at the glen near the creek was left untouched over the years.

“Are you sure about this?” asked Phillip in a wary voice. 

“For once,” Aurora replied. She got off her horse first, then lashed the reins to a nearby tree. Mirette immediately started munching on the grass below. 

Phillip sighed, then did the same with his horse. Samson seemed a little less enthused to be around the woodcutter’s cottage again, although he and Phillip had a good reason to be. 

Aurora noticed the slightly sullen look in Phillip’s eyes as he secured Samson’s reins. She walked to him, placed her hand onto his cheek, then pressed a kiss to his lips. 

“It’s okay,” she assured. “Nothing’s going to happen this time.” 

“I know,” Phillip replied, although he was looking down. He removed his riding hat then took Aurora’s hand. “Let’s go.”

The two walked over the bridge above the creek and approached the front door. Aurora looked down at the garden bed near the door — according to Flora, she and the other fairies had buried a key there in case Aurora was ever feeling nostalgic. 

After some digging, Aurora found what she was looking for. She placed the slightly dirty key into the keyhole and opened the door. She walked in and Phillip followed her, both having to kneel down to fit through the doorway. 

Aurora’s childhood home had remained relatively untouched. No one lived in it anymore, not even the old woodcutter who used to call it his house. The dinner table had remained unused, the wash basin was as dry as a bone, and the windows were so dusty that they barely let any sunlight in. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather had no use for the place anymore, so they told Aurora that for they knew, the place was hers now. 

“Strange,” Aurora remarked, looking around. She ran her finger across the top of a bookcase — predictably, dust collected on her fingertip. “I don’t remember this place being so small.”

“Perhaps you grew a bit,” Phillip suggested. He took a good look around, paying attention to all the nooks and crannies in the room. 

While Phillip busied himself with some old books on the shelves, Aurora found herself drawn towards the staircase in the corner. She moved slowly as she went up the steps, as if she could not predict what she would find upstairs. 

After opening the first door on the top, Aurora was greeted to the sight of her old bedroom. Like everything else in the cottage, it was notoriously dusty after the lack of use. It seemed that the Three Good Fairies had moved her few belongings into her father’s palace, as if every trace of Briar Rose had been scrubbed clean from the place.

Aurora sat on her old bed. She sat there and waited, although she wasn’t quite sure exactly what she was waiting for.

Outside, the sounds of the forest and animals leaked into the small cottage. 

Briar Rose used to love waking up to that sound. Briar Rose used to love reading in bed by candlelight. Briar Rose used to love every single part of the cottage, from the squeaky floorboards to the waterwheel nearby. 

But Briar Rose was gone now. 

…

…

...

Aurora felt empty.

Moments passed and she soon heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. Aurora looked to the doorway and saw Phillip entering the room, ducking down to fit in just like before. His deep brown eyes seemed gentle and calming.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked in a soft voice.

Aurora nodded her head and replied, “I’m fine.” She took a deep breath and held back the tears that were threatening to show. She wiped a hand over her eyes, stood up from the bed, and walked past Phillip. 

As Aurora went down the stairs, Phillip blinked, confused. Deferring to her for information, he followed her down the steps. “So what do you want to do with this place?” he asked. “Leave it be? Or…?”

Aurora knew what her answer would be. “I want to clean it up,” she told him. She made her way towards the closet in the kitchen and opened it. Lucky for her, the old mops and brooms were still inside. “Refurbish it, maybe. We could use it as a vacation home.” 

“I like that idea,” Phillip said, walking after her. “I can send some servants over to-”

Aurora placed a mop into Phillip’s hands.

“-or we can just do it ourselves.” 

Aurora smirked and grabbed a broom for herself. “Thank you,” she added. She took a few steps forward and pressed a kiss to her fiance’s cheek. “I really appreciate this.” 

“It’s no problem,” Phillip said, although his smile started turning into a frown, his usual cheeriness fading away.

Aurora knew how to make him feel better, so she spoke: “Merryweather usually had a saying for situations like this.”

Phillip looked genuinely curious. “What was it?”

“Less moping, more mopping, now get to it.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I've noticed that Merryweather is the fairy I love to reference the most in fan fic.


End file.
